- Family Camping Club -
Elgin, Illinois
Q: How was FVT&W begun ?
A: A simple conversation among friends was all it took to set the seed for the club.
Sitting around a campfire and talking about how there was a shortage of clubs for
families camping in popups and tents - one thing led to another -
and the idea of the club was formed and had begun. We began in July of '98 with
4 families and have grown to 11 in our first year.
Q: Why did FVT&W choose to affiliate with an
international organization like FCRV ?
A: Tom felt that an established, formal organization
had more to offer our new club.
We could take advantage
of events and programs already in place in FCRV.
FCRV also provides Liability
Insurance, free of charge, to it's Chapters.
Q: Why FCRV, instead of an other organization ?
A: First - Tom had already been a member of
an FCRV Chapter (Des Plaines Valley -
the first FCRV Chapter formed
in Illinois). He had seen the support offered by the
organization at the State
and National levels. He knew of the benefits FCRV would
provide to a new club.
Q: How far does your membership area extend from
Elgin ?
A: At the present time our farthest member
family resides in Peoria - About 80 miles away.
Q: What classification of camping does your club
promote ?
A: Our membership is focused toward popup
and tenting families, but anyone else is welcome.
We do have one member family
that has a motor home. AND - We would never 'kick out'
a family simply because
they decided that a rig with canvas was no longer desirable
for their family.
Q: What area do you utilize for camping weekends.
A: We try to stay within a 2 hr drive from
Elgin. This keeps us within the Northern Illinois /
Southern Wisconsin for most
of our campground selection options. We utilize weekends
for FVT&W camping and
don't want to spend our entire weekend driving.
Q: What type of campgrounds does FVT&W use
?
A: Due to the necessity of having to make
reservation as a group, we mostly use private,
commercial campgrounds.
We have gone as a group to State Campgrounds, but it
takes more to organize due
to the typical policies of State Campgrounds to take only
individual family reservations.
Q: I'm not sure my family would enjoy a group camping
club. How do I find out if it's for us ?
A: FVT&W will always be pleased to have
your family join us as guests for a weekend, day,
dinner or campfire. Just
drop us a note or call to find our present schedule. We never pressure
families to join, but how
can you tell if you'll enjoy group camping if you don't give it a try ?
Q: What are the financial requirements of FVT&W
membership ?
A: We have expenses to cover so we do collect
dues. A new family coming into the club for the first
time is expected to pay
a $20.00 initiation fee and annual dues of $18.00 (pro-rated by month
according to the fiscal
year - against the month of joining.) $6 of your annual dues goes to the
Illinois
State Organization (I.S.A).
It provides a newsletter and a multitude of statewide programs that are
available to our membership.
Being an Chapter of FCRV - there is also a requirement for a new
family to belong to the
FCRV National Organization. FCRV dues range from $25/yr for a single year
- to $48 for 2 year - $69
for 3 yrs - to $400 for a lifetime membership. These FCRV dues go to
supporting the National
Organization and their programs. Unlike some 'other' camping organizations
- FCRV has a minimal, mostly
volunteer staff so very little of your FCRV dues go to paid
management.
Do you have more questions ???
Drop us a line or gives us a call, and we'll be more than pleased to answer them ...
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